Late Sunday night, Carlesha Freeland-Gaither was abducted off the streets in Philadelphia. Surveillance cameras show that Gaither fought aggressively against her attacker, dropping her glasses and cell phone before being violently pushed into a four door car. Also, the videos show just before the car pulled away, Gaither kicked out a passenger side window in the unknown vehicle. Witnesses confirmed in reports with local officials that Gaither was yelling help throughout the attack, but no one came in to intervene. Gaither’s family had no idea of what could have happened before the attack based on what the surveillance cameras show and are only aware of a fight between Gaither and her abductor.

“We don’t know if she was talking to them or whether they ended up asking her a question and just grabbed her. We don’t know what happened at all,” reported Connie Freeland, Gaither’s grandmother, during an interview with CNN reporters.

At the beginning of the investigation, police did not have any leads to who could have done this, so they released the first surveillance tape to the public in attempt to have a chance of someone identifying the attacker. A day later, Gaither’s ATM card was used by a man fitting the profile of the suspect. Gaither’s card was used less than eight hours after the official abduction and 90 miles away from the scene. After, Gaither’s card was used again in a convenience store which was confirmed by surveillance cameras in the location. After officials released the first video, a car dealer identified Delvin Barnes to the authorities and told them that he had a GPS placed on his car in concern of bad credit. Found in Jessup, Maryland, Barnes was taken into custody and has previously been wanted for capital murder, rape and other charges in multiple other cases.

“I’ve been on the job 46 years, (and this is the) first time I’ve ever seen a kidnapping on videotape. (It) really was horrific to watch it unfold,” Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey told CNN reporters.

Barnes will be held for his past charges from Virginia in Philadelphia, along with the abduction of Gaither. At the beginning of October, a 16-year-old girl was reported missing in Virginia. Two days later, she was found in a business two miles away from where she was being held by Barnes, naked, bleeding, and with third-degree burns. The teen was hit in the head with a shovel and stuffed into the trunk of a car. The young girl told officials that while being held captive, Barnes showed her pictures of girls and explained in detail of what he did to them in the past. Officials in Philadelphia expect Barnes to be charged with this case.

“He’s a vicious predator. He’s off the streets. And hopefully he’ll be in jail for the rest of his life. That’s the only thing he deserves”, Ramsey told CNN reporters.

Gaither was hospitalized after being found and sustained with injuries, fortunately they are not life-threatening. Three days later, she was reunited with her family in Philadelphia after the gruesome three days of being gone. The witness, Dwayne Fletcher, is seen as the hero for helping to assist in finding Gaither and is given great thanks for paying attention to what exactly had happened night.

“It feels good; I wouldn’t change it for nothing, but tomorrow’s another day. I got to go to work. It’s back to being Dwayne” he told CNN reporters.

Officials know that without the information Fletcher provided there could have been a completely different ending to this case. Gaither has not yet had a one-on-one report with news officials about the kidnapping, but her family is very grateful for everything local officials have done in effort to find and bring Gaither back home.

 FSA Connection Questions

1. What do you believe the tone of the article is?
2. Based on your answer for Number 1, select two sentences that support your analysis.
3. What is the connotative meaning of the word vicious?
4. Stepping into the shoes of the witness, how would you have reacted to seeing the attack?
5. What is the main idea of this article?